Anxiously awaiting a miracle

Happy new year! We spent the morning and most of the afternoon at Golden Gardens watching people do their new year polar bears and having bonfires with their Christmas trees. It was a beautiful first day of the year as well :)





I was really relieved to see Gaza break out of her shell at the bark park as well. She still stayed near me for the majority of the time, but she did play with the other dogs for a bit and let random people pet her. I was amazed at the transformation :) I really, really hope tomorrow goes well with the behaviorist. I want to keep her so badly...

And for the benefit of all, please note that when you incorrectly type in www dot homtail dot com, you will most certainly not get redirected to hotmail. Jeez.

Waiting for Munoz to get into SEATAC

She had a rough night. Actually, we both did. I got in touch (thanks to some tearful phone messages this morning) with a few local behaviorists. One is coming on Wednesday to get started. In the meantime, I'm keeping Gaza with friends and family when I'm away (bless you a zillion times over, you guys!). She has severe separation anxiety unrelieved by anything I can possibly think of... and Xanax. That's right, we've only been together nine days and already I'm drugging my dog for her own safety.

Now is the time for my heartfelt apologies to dog owners in the past whom I've silently judged when they say their dogs have separation anxiety: Dude, I am so sorry and I feel for you!

So life has been quieter than usual of late, what with being homebound or carting a dog around. Went to see the Paperboys last night- amazing as usual :D Somewhat not as cool given the scenario awaiting me back at the homestead, but the Paperboys didn't disappoint at the Tractor. I need to learn to dance. Seriously.

Just so we're clear

Got it? Seriously though, how much wear and tear do these signs possibly have to withstand?

...and to all a good night! Except Gaza.

The good news first- I got Christmas day and night off! I made it to Christmas dinner with my aunt and uncle's family, so that was a nice surprise!

The bad news- it's too much to expect a dog to be perfect, and I found Gaza's issue. She has major separation anxiety. When I came home Christmas morning, she had chewed through the heavy-duty plastic crate and had bent the hinges of the metal door! She was frantic and looked awful when I walked in. It broke my heart :( The breeder, vet, and I are trying to figure out what to do so that she doesn't hurt herself. I know she'll get used to it and end up just sleeping while I work at night, but the transition is tough. I gave her some xanax (per the vet) and made her sleep out of sight last night when I stayed home. She seemed to do ok, and tolerated me being out for fifteen minutes at a time. We'll see how tonight goes. I know she can do it.

And so I leave you with a picture from Christmas Eve at work. I bring you... Megan with her amazing flashing (mangled) candycane headband! Wee! Merry Christmas!

Shameless run of Gaza photos

I'm going to indulge in a little self-pity here. I have an abundantly blessed life... but I still wish I could be home for Christmas. This is the second Christmas I've spent away from family and I don't like it :(

However, I got to spend Thanksgiving in Indiana and now have a dog to come home to, so my pity party is over :) Besides, it's not like I'm at The Forefront anymore. This Christmas will not end with Katie and me crying in the parking lot and then going home alone again...



The shaved left eyebrow (from an encounter with a raccoon?) is so haute cuuture, don't you think?



Please note my amazing purple leather chair :)



Ducks? Ducks?? Ducks!!



Oh well hey there.

Watching Gaza running in her sleep :)

I don't have a single complaint about Gaza, but I think I may have started a bad habit already...

She is perfectly well-behaved on the leash- no tugging, barking, or craziness. In fact, I had her run alongside my bike this morning around Greenlake a few times so that she'd be too tired to complain when I left her alone for errands. Except for a few birds that caught her attention, she did fabulously!

She waits for me to go through doors first, patiently waits for her food, lets me rub and position her however, and is just a mellow dog through and through. However, the first night she let out a soft whine and was comforted by my voice. A while later she did it again because I think she was cold from still being a little damp. I had to convince her it was ok to get on the bed and under the covers, and then she slept like a baby. Last night we did the same thing only not under the covers because she got hot. This morning when I got up, she was splayed out next to me fast asleep... and hogging the bed.

I think I may have created a monster.



In other news, it appears that the Griswold family has taken up residence next door:



The other neighbors, a church, has a boys choir performing Christmas music tonight. It's actually very pretty, but it has this eerie quality by the time it makes it up the street and down the alley to my window. It's growing on me, though. I almost wish they did it more often because it makes the neighborhood feel a bit more like a community.

I think we're in for some good adventures this year!

Woofda Gucci Ragazza (Gaza for short) is home! We've spent the last thirty-six hours walking, napping, and getting to know each other, and I am beat. What a great dog :) She's very mellow- even Peanut likes her. More to come I'm sure...

This is the only picture I've taken so far! Ha, as I'm typing this she's running and wagging her tail in her sleep :)

No real form to this entry...

Worst idea of the month: stick rolls of tourniquets in our modules that require each tourniquet to be pulled off at the perforations. Dude, they're elastic- I about took my eye out with one!

As I was driving up "Pill Hill" to work last night, I noticed that the personal belongings that had been scattered in the street the past week were finally cleaned up. I had been amused at the area the things had managed to cover; it was as if whomever they belonged to had exploded. Wait, that's kind of gross actually. Anyway, that section of James that crosses under I-5 is a colorful stretch. There are always panhandlers and every morning I get on the freeway, I see clumps of people sleeping under the on ramps. One of my favorite things I've ever seen in that area, though, is the pigeon man.

I first saw the pigeon man this fall, strolling down the hill with his cart of worldy belongings. He had a bag of what I assume is birdfeed from which he would draw handfuls of seeds and scatter them around him as he walked along. He did it very mechanically, though I've seen him smile a time or two. What amazed me are the pigeons (*shudder*) that flocked on and around him. As he walked along the sidewalk, nobody could pass by him without walking through a wall of feathers, and even the cars were swerving away from the curb! I couldn't take my eyes off of this man who was just walking along with zillions of flying rats. I'm obviously not a fan of pigeons, but for a second I found myself wanting to walk alongside him in his bubble of birds.

As a closing note, I've given up trying to figure out who is reading this from the ClusterMap. My geography isn't that good and I think a few random people have stumbled upon my rambles.

The name game

Like KT, I'm a sucker for nicknames. I find it interesting that being called something other than your real name can endear somebody to you. Throughout my life I've morphed through Scooter, Wenikio, Wendy-o, Wends, Nee-Nee, and Nork. I won't tell you all their creation stories, but I will answer how this blog's namesake came about:

Dee and I were superdorks growing up and used to quiz each other on states and capitals over dinner with our varied map placemats. Apparently food wasn't entertaining enough. Ah the foolishness of youth! While spending time in Hawaii, we acquired personalized placemats with all sorts of fish on them- perfect for I Spy! (Ha! You'll never guess that I'm referring to the pink dot on the dorsal fin!) There must have been some sort of Hawaiian theme going on because we ended up with "Wenikio" and "Kalikio." I know, commence with the groaning. Out of curiosity, I Googled the name and discovered that it doesn't exist in the world of Google! In fact when I first did it, I inadvertently (and successfully) Google-whacked! Now, however, I am singlehandedly populating the results of "wenikio" on Google. The Google-whacking glory was shortlived.




So there you have it.

Cold and starving

I left my window cracked today with the fan on to let some fresh air circulate. I figured it would cool the place down, but I didn't expect it to cool down as much as it did! So now I'm sitting by the fire with toe-cicles and willing myself not to shiver. I can't bear the thought of crawling under cold sheets just yet....

I was telling myself for the millionth time that I'm truly an embarassment to the state of Alaska and then reminded myself for the millionth time that since we moved when I was nine, I can be forgiven this abomination. But seriously, even in Arizona I was frequently cold. I justified it by the fact that people cranked the a/c in the summer and we did get frost (sometimes) on winter nights, but I think it's time I was honest with myself- I really don't have any temperature regulation.

As I put the cookies in the oven just now and the heat wave hit me, I had to laugh. It reminded me of a winter evening in the Erie house (AKA the blue house). We probably had a heater but more likely didn't have the money to run it. Either way, we spent that Arizona evening in front of the oven, basking in its heat. Given that we were from Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa, I think this is particularly shameful. That oven was right below the cupboard from which beastly cockroaches would scurry out. In fact, I think the cupboard might even bear a shoe mark from when Sarah threw her shoe at a notably sized roach. *shudder* I had nightmares for months. Give me snakes, spiders, cats, or rats- shoot, give me all of them at once!- just keep those horrid things away from me!

Speaking of cooking in the oven, one of the few times I've ever cooked an actual meal was in the Erie house. Let me tell you, it was nothing to write home about. Actually, it sort of was but only in the I-nearly-burned-down-the-house-but-at-least-I-smoked-out-any-small-vermin sort of way.





And you wonder why I don't cook. It's for the good of the neighborhood, people! Think of the children!

I kissed men goodbye

Actually, I didn't. I'm still looking/waiting for the right one, but in the meantime I've found a steady companion- Ragazza! What's that, you ask? She is a two year old, forty-five pound, pre-trained, amazing labradoodle! At least, I think she's amazing (I have it on good authority that she is). I'll pick her up from the breeder in the coming weeks. I'm so excited! :)



And speaking of cooking, my fridge is even worse than previously mentioned. The contents now consist of:
six (!!!) sticks of butter
two Ensures
one package of English muffins
half a bottle of syrup
half a bottle of rice milk
one jar of preserves
The interesting thing is that its contents have barely made a dent in my eating habits. That is to say, my freezer is well stocked.

Changing gears here, this past weekend was great! Shawn and I went to see the Paperboys up in Bellingham on Saturday night (don't tell them, but the John Butler Trio was sold out and they were next on the list). Despite the fact that it was freezing up there, we had a good time. Bellingham seems like a cool town, and Pepper Sisters hit the spot for dinner! WARNING: gushing ahead:

Seeing as how there were only five people on stage instead of more than ten this time, I figured the Paperboys would be good but maybe not as good as the first show Laura and I had gone to... I was so wrong! The Wild Buffalo venue is more intimate than the Tractor- as in, I was next to Tom Landa at the bar! *swoon* We talked about how Shawn got his hands on his first tape, which Tom himself doesn't even have, and some other things that I don't quite remember because I was still processing the fact that we were even talking :p During the intermission we talked again (with Geoffrey too!) and even got a picture together! Sort of. Shawn's camera lost the photo and threw me into unspeakable despair :(

The show itself was a lot of fun. The people at the Wild Buffalo are a different sort than at the Tractor- they were a friendly crowd, all dancing with abandon (one women with a little too much abandon...). A woman I had spoken with briefly in the bathroom shouted across the floor "this one's for you Indiana!" when Tom dedicated part of a singalong to the Midwest (a la John Cougar). Wee! That definitely wouldn't have happened in Seattle! I have never wished I could dance more than during those three hours :)

Laura called me a groupie and she might have a point. I felt like such a teenie-bopper, but seriously? It was The Paperboys and they are amazingly cool in person too! I just can't help smiling :)

Waiting for my sheets to finish drying

Holy smokes! I've reached over a thousand visitors to the blog! I don't know how I feel about that. I'm suddenly feeling very conscious of the fact that people across the world are reading my idle ramblings. I don't write anything I wouldn't want the world to know, but it's still weird to think people across the world do know... even if they are just my friends :)

Seattle has been stereotypically Pacific Northwest this past week. Lots of rain and gloomy out. However, "gloomy" isn't part of my normal vocabulary anymore. Terms regarding light have been simplified to "night" and "day," so this gloomy has been outright bright for me! Speaking of redefining- a month later, I'm still finding myself winding down and catching up on sleep. I find myself going through one of those cycles of life, trying to get back to who I think I am but then finding that of course I can't regress in personal growth. I don't even want to be who I was! Even so, there are aspects of personality that are enduring, and sleep deprived lunacy isn't one of mine. Lunacy, yes, but not sleep deprived.

In my mind, certain things are part of Seattle's personality as well. A few months ago Shawn and I went biking down to Golden Gardens and Shilshole and saw one of those aspects:



In an odd sort of way, it reminded me of Set.

Continuing my babysteps into the 21st century

I took the Facebook plunge (myspace is, like, so passe), and now I've joined Skype- and been pleasantly surprised by both. I got to talk with Miki in Japan tonight, and she came across crystal clear! In fact, even her yawn was contagious from across the world and she could hear the catfight from my alleyway! Ahh Miki. I miss you :)

Now for your random picture of the day, Grandma's new cat, Peanut:



We were laughing last night about how funny it would be if she turns out to be a big cat. Grandma would totally be the old women doting on the fat, cranky cat named "Peanut." I don't think that'll happen, though. She's a sweet kitten and Grandma feeds her just the right amount.

In other news, I got moved to evenings again this week and for most of next week! Hooray! I'm still feeling better every day as I get to sleep at night.

Evenings again this week!

I admit it, I'm a list person. If it's not on the list, it won't get done, and if I lose my patient's report sheet, my brain might as well have just walked out the door. I do have fun finding old lists, though. This morning I found a yellow scratch pad with the directions to Steff's home in Iowa, the beginning documentation of our trip to Seattle, a mention of Minooka, IL (I have no idea why), more directions to unknown locations (I should really label them), letters, and songs that I like. On one of the back pages, there's a note to ask Dad for the "celery photo" of me. I actually got it last week, so that's another check off the list!



There's an explanation to this picture, though maybe not a good one. Dad got a new phone and wanted pictures of people to show up when they called. We were taking family pictures when he went into the other room for a phone call. Seizing the opportunity (and vegetables from the nearby vegetable tray), we had some fun :) For the next year, the office girls would answer his cell phone laughing at my picture. I think it's sort of freaky.

As Katie would ask, why am I not married? :)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

While I did set my alarm last night, I didn't save it and it went off this morning at eleven instead of nine. Even so, I managed to get a hike in with Rachel and Katie. We went to Discovery Park (yes that counts as a hike) and got quite a surprise- snow! And lots of it!



I would say we got well over an inch, but I'm a terrible judge of age, height, group size, and snowfall, so add or subtract a bit as you will. By the end of the hour and a half, we were pretty cold and wet, but it was worth it :)



It really did stick on the ground, though. It's now 3:30am and most of it seems to have melted, but there are still patches of snow. The roads were pretty bad earlier in the evening. My back porch was reminiscent of Chicago last winter but to a much lesser degree:



On the subject of snow, there's a tree in front of the elevators at work that's decorated with fake snow and tinsel. It's also decorated with no less than six cardinals. The cardinal is the state bird of Indiana, and I've never even seen that many in the woods behind our house on any given day! The tree is colorful though :)

Idle thoughts

Tonight was my last night doing evenings (day doing evenings?). Come Sunday, it's back to nights for me. *sigh* I'm really actually feeling better every day (more peppy and happy and such), so I feel all strong-ish and ready to take on the night, but I know it'll slowly eat away at my soul again. Or maybe just my body and mind, but you know...

Some randomness I felt compelled to note:

Evel Knievel died today. The only things I really know about him are from Brian Regan and short clips floating around the internet, but I still feel some sort of loss. He was a daredevil of yore, complete with the cool cape and all.

I got Zach's newest musical self-portrait today. It actually makes me happier that maybe is warranted, but I've listened to an old one for years and love it. This new one is good so far- seeing as how the first song is by Amos Lee, I would expect no less. Thanks, Zach! I think the whole idea of a yearly music self-portrait is actually a good one. I am retarded when it comes to self-awareness and expression, and music has helped me a lot in this regard. Alternatively, you could go all superdork and just write a book about your life (otherwise known as an autobiography...) like Ben and I did.

I took this picture the other day at Gas Works Park with my cousin Katie. Somebody had done this to all the bricks around the sundial at the top, and it made me happy. Sort of reminds me of my brain this week:



I live a short walk away from the park and it's my favorite view of Seattle at night. As per Wikipedia, the park "contains remnants of the sole remaining coal gasification plant in the US." Coal gasification. *snerk* Gas Works is perhaps my favorite park of all time. I like the kite hill, the grassy field for frisbee, the cool old buildings and structures, the views, and the famous Gasworks Kite Shop just up the road. I could do without the creepy bums who lurk in the boiler and pump house, but such is the price of such an awesome park.

One last lighthearted picture from home this past week:



I'm a scrooge when it comes to work clothes. I refuse to spend more money that absolutely necessary on clothes that are going to get all MRSAfied, VREed, and CDiffed. The scrub tops we had to use in nursing school are actually good quality, so I set about pulling out the "College of Nursing" stitching when I was at home. Not sure it was worth the effort but ah well. I seriously contemplated leaving it like this to see what remarks it would get, but in the end Mom gave the thumbs down.

Needing to hug my family

Four transplant recipients at three Chicago hospitals have contracted HIV and hepatitis C from a single organ donor, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.

It's incredibly sad this could happen and I hope they'll start using the NAT test more judiciously in the future, but I understand the time constraints too. Occasionally there just is no time to wait for a few more hours. I think what bothers me most about this is the questionable informed consent of at least one of the recipients. She was doing well on dialysis and supposedly turned down a kidney a while back because of the high-risk behavior of the donor (which her current donor was known to have). Without knowing the full story, it sounds as if she may not have been given all the information she needed.

Organ transplantation obviously has inherent risk, and we try to do what we can to make it less risky. Bodies are unique and dynamic and I doubt we'll ever be able to anticipate or fix everything- though the healthcare collective will always strive to that end. We're all learning as we go. I don't think this incident should scare potential recipients away; instead, I think it should reiterate the importance of communication and informed consent... and the potential risk. My heart goes out to all four recipients and their families. Donate your organs, y'all!

Think I found my new sport. France needs nurses too, right?

It looks fake at first, but I assure you it's not. I'm wrapping my mind around the fact that you can survive a trip over a mountain cliff with only a "wingsuit" and zoom mere inches away from otherwise deadly things at over 100mph... and now I really, really want to try!

My dad sent me the link in an email saying, "Absolutely CRAZY! But once mastered it has to be the rush of all rushes. Don't try this at home...." Uh, Dad? I'm seriously considering a trip to Pujaut, France, tonight.

My only means of portable music at the present time

It's a pretty day out, though not what I would call warm, so I decided to push myself this morning and go for a run on the BG Trail. Within twenty yards, my kneecap was cracking and popping all over the place, so I settled for a cold walk hoping things would pop back into place (this is the dance I go through at random intervals if I'm running much). I felt sort of silly walking in my running clothes while obviously cold but reminded myself that nobody was really looking anyway.

Then I realized they were looking at me. Not casual glances as they biked/ran by but purposeful looks. I ran through the quick list (Something on my face? Toilet paper on my shoe? Plumber's crack perhaps?), but nothing came to mind. Just then a flash of yellow caught the corner of my eye:



Ah yes. When I was seven years old, we all got Walkmans for Christmas (I believe the same Christmas I thought batteries were an amazing present as well). Mine has survived through every conceivable test a kid could put it through and outlived numerous other tape, CD, and mp3 players. It plays perfectly, and the only signs of wear are scuffs that rubbed off my initials that had been Magic Markered on (yes, I just verbed that) and the small, red bungee cord holding the clear front part on. It's clunky, yellow, and has a bungee cord around it- is it any wonder people are looking?

Most of the people on this part of the BG Trail are associated with UW, so there are a lot of students and a number of professors. That being the case, I find it amusing that this Walkman is older than the most of the students! Conversely, most of the professors remember when Walkmans were new, and a few have actually commented on mine. It's a good conversation piece when I'm not freezing or gasping for air!

Incidentally, there's a unique market for these things! Does it make me retrohip?

Just for fun, I saw this at a park the other day on a run and it made me smile :)

Hey ya... times three

I remember back when "Hey Ya" by Outkast was popular on the radio. It grated on my nerves, though admittedly it's kind of catchy. I didn't even notice when the stations stopped playing it. Then one day I heard this guy in Arizona:


I've become a fan of his since and not just because he has an awesomely bushy beard :)

Somebody posted this Hey Ya spinoff today and I thought it was pretty cool too:


Hehe, I love Snoopy :)

Brilliant, as usual

About a year ago, Michelle took an unannounced hiatus and I fell into a deep depression when thinking she may not start writing again. Thankfully, she came back and all is well in the world again. One of the things I enjoy about her blog is how relatable she is. For example, as I lounged around by the fire today reading and enjoying the sun (or daylight, at any rate), I wondered several times if I'm using this day most appropriately. I nixed hiking because it's cold and rainy. I got groceries (surprise, surprise). I did laundry and cleaned. The rest of the time I relaxed. Part of me felt guilty, but I'm still way behind in the sleep department, so I don't feel that badly. As I just followed up on her latest posting, I see she is feeling the same way on her break,

But this puts a lot of pressure on me to really make the most out of this week of vacation I'm on now. Every second, I'm thinking to myself, "Am I relaxing enough? Am I enjoying myself enough? Am I using this time productively? Are Cal and I bonding enough?" I'm really a fun person.

So for now, I'm calling it all good :)

Trouble indeed

When I left Chicago, Katie's present to me was Ray Lamontagne's album "Trouble." She told me how he's got the most amazing and sexy voice, but I'd never heard of him before. Oh man, was she ever right! He immediately became one of my top five favorite artists ever. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I decided to look up his picture today...



*dreamy sigh* ;)

While the California redwoods may not exactly be the backcountry...

The more civilized man becomes, the more he needs and craves a great background of forest wildness, to which he may return like a contrite prodigal from the husks of an artificial life.
Ellen Burns Sherman

Waiting for Jason's photos, but here are some of mine:

Elk... and lots of laughing :)

Walking to the ocean




A little smelly and still very wet from the eleven mile hike the day before!

It was really a great trip. It rained almost nonstop and we nearly hit an elk, but it was beautiful, fun, and relaxing. We had a few hours to clean up and snooze in Seattle before heading to our respective flights...

I spent less than twenty-four hours in Chicago before heading to Indiana, but I got to see a surprising amount of people. It was what I'd been hoping for- I only wish I'd had more time to see more people (ahem, Katie). Walking into the old apartment, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. A surprising amount of my stuff is still there, so I had this feeling that I've only been on a long trip and was coming back home. Nabeel and Jill are the best roommates you could ever hope to have, and it was so great to sit on the couch catching up and then later individually. I slept so peacefully that night.

Home in Indiana was also perfect. It had been nearly ten months since I'd seen any immediate family or been home. Families are never without drama on some scale, but this visit was still good. Rudy the Rocket Dog is full grown and a funny creature; he and Chuck provide endless entertainment. Thanksgiving dinner was especially good. Mmm, food. With any luck I'll make it back for Nicholas's graduation...

Breaking news from Oakland

Bubb Rubb tells it like it is...

Decision time. Or not.

Ok, so Jason gets in tomorrow morning and then we tootle on down the highway to California. We've narrowed it down to two choices: the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park with excursions to the Smith River NRA (trout and salmon fishing!!) and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park (with optional beach camping). We can have fires at both places and we're planning on rain for most of the weekend. We decided this afternoon that we'll put off the decision until closer to camp time. They're both on 199 anyway. What do you get when you send two thinkers on a no-think weekend? We'll find out.

Why am I telling you this? So that if we miss our flights on Monday morning to our respective states, you'll know where to look. Between us we have new sleeping bags, a trout rod, and an assortment of gear- we may not be back for quite a while!

I'd post some pictures from the trip Jess and I took in the aforementioned places, but I've been having trouble getting the pictures to post on Blogger. Then again, maybe it's just my computer acting up again.

Hooray! We're off!

The computer hasn't exploded yet, though funny whining sounds are coming from it

If I was the type of person who would be embarassed by the contents of my refrigerator, I wouldn't post any pictures. Thankfully, for your amusement, I'm not and I will.




Running low on batteries and bread, but I'm good on butter and Ensure. I've been told my fridge puts a bachelor's to shame. Mom, I hope you're not reading this.

A serious post for once

I'm excusing myself for not blogging the past few weeks. The computer is still down and this old relic is just limping along. I get my email (sometimes) and then turn it off (or just unplug it if it's feeling stubborn) and run away hoping it won't explode. Yeah, I have that effect on computers.

There's not been too much exciting going on anyway. The night shift is really, really starting to get to me. I didn't realize that when I posted I was feeling sad on Facebook that I'd get so many questions and responses! So there you have it- staying up all night and rarely getting outside = one sad Wendy. I haven't been sleeping well, if at all, and I'm just worn out. All I think about is sleeping and eating because I'm not getting enough of either!

Moving along, in an effort to get myself out of this slump, I hiked up Little Mount Si today with Rachel (who can make you laugh at your own mom's funeral). Despite the snow on the passes (and Whistler got 14 inches), it wasn't so much cold as it was windy- both from me sucking it and the impressive gusts that nearly blew us off the top! The pine trees swaying below looked like they were dancing at a ball. I'd totally dance with them with my mad DDR skillz. Whenever I get someplace like that, I'm overcome with this thought. It's hard to describe, but something about the fact that when we get back and go about our normal lives, those trees will still be dancing and the wind will still be howling. I find it sort of reassuring.

Speaking of trees, Jason answered my pathetic call/text to arms the other night. I need to fight this awful night beast, so off we go to the California redwoods! It's the only logical thing to do, you know? We'll be gone for a few days with the express purpose of admiring the trees, making up constellations, and eating lots of food (and many, many s'mores). You might still be asking, "No really, why the redwoods?" I'll leave you with these thoughts from John Steinbeck:

The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever sucessfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time. They have the mystery of ferns that disappeared a million years ago into the coal of the carboniferous era. They carry their own light and shade. The vainest, most slap-happy and irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect. Respect- that's the word. One feels the need to bow to unquestioned sovereigns. I have known these great ones since my earliest childhood, have lived mong them, camped and slept against their warm monster bodies, and no amount of association has bred contempt in me.

So I guess that's why. I need sleep, food, friendship, fresh air and awe. And then I'm flying into Chicago for more friends along the way home for Thanksgiving :)

Wow!

Terry Fader won America's Got Talent... as well he should have! Who knew ventriloquism could be so cool?

Shortly thereafter...

...a door dropped open and a little green man landed on my counter.

Rain or shine, I have rainbows in my apartment. Cool!

My computer won't even boot up. Not so cool. Things will be slow in coming until I get it up and running again. Obviously.

Wandering in thought

Sorry for the last post. I know it was kind of gross, but still true, no?

So I did two sixteen hour shifts in four days. Understandably I slept for eleven straight hours when I got home yesterday... and only because my alarm woke me up at 8:15pm. I think I remember rolling over once. After visiting my grandma and her new kitten (a two pound black kitten named Peanut), I went to a close friend's house to eat Chiangs (hooray!) and watch Firefly (double hooray!!). Sadly I fell asleep for several more hours. Good Lord, I'm turning into a sloth! Shortly moss will start growing on my body.

On my way home at three this morning, I saw the nearly full moon over the Olympics. The weather has been clear the past day and half, so the moon lit up that part of the sky. It was so pretty and I drove really slowly to try and take it in. I would have gone for a walk around Greenlake if anybody was awake to go with me. Then I remembered the pack I'd been lusting after for months is in the back of my car and got this incredible urge to take off into the Cascades. My dad told a story about stashing Spam and some other food in a hollow tree there once. We all know Spam will survive the nuclear holocaust, so I figured I'd go try to find it.

As John Steinbeck said, "In Spanish there is a word for which I can't find a counterword in English. It is the verb vacilar, present participle vacilando. It does not mean vacillating at all. If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere but doesn't greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction. My friend Jack Wagner has often, in Mexico, assumed this state of being. Let us say we wanted to walk in the streets of Mexico City but not at random. We would choose some article almost certain not to exist there and then diligently try to find it."

Exactly. I've met some of my best friends this way and lived some pretty fun stories. Now, where is that Spam?

After the first twelve hours, it's all a blur...

I'm not sure I trust myself to say anything coherent after sixteen hours (even with the last seven hours of coma-sleep). I do have a question, though. Since when did "chemical peel" and "microderm abrasion" not send up red flags to consumers- especially in regards to their faces?

Let's peruse Google images, shall we? Exhibit one: chemical



Exhibit two: peel



Exhibit three: microderm (this one is fine)



Exhibit four: abrasion

Just kidding. Too gross. Skin *shudder*

I'm just sayin'...

Born in the wrong century

Is it just me that has a phobia of leaving phone messages? I would avoid them at all costs growing up. I've learned to deal and to actually embrace the fact that I have to leave a tracing of my voice in the radio waves of the world (radio waves, right?), but I still feel weird and unsure what exactly to say without the usual prompting by the other person. So either it comes out as "I'll meet you there at this time" or "so, I think we're still meeting at (such and such), which reminds me of (such and such). I think I told you about that, but if I didn't, let me know because it's a good story. Oh, and do you still want to (such and such) because it'd be fun and maybe we could do (such and such) as well? See if (whatsherbutt) wants to come along too because she would like that..." And on and on until I realize this is getting long and end with, "ok so that's enough rambling. I'll see you there at this time."

Who needs therapeutic free association when we have voicemail?

Under the weather

I'm stumped. I've had this fever since early Saturday morning (and yes, I still went outside because staying inside for over 24 hours alone might just kill me). I don't know what it's from. I feel crummy, but it's not like I'm coughing or anything. What gives?

Hmm, now I need to post something less depressing. How about this? I don't know who painted it, but it's titled "Strangers with candy." I like it.

Thoughts on a sunny day

So I felt awful last night and stayed home. I read on the couch and ate and drank and drifted in and out of sleep. Totally trippy.

Today, though, I woke up at noon and couldn't get back to sleep. A knock at the wrong door finally got me out of bed. As I sat on the porch in the sun, I felt less grouchy and while not physically much better I felt a little clearer in the head. I decided to take a leisurely ride down the BG trail because today was a beautiful Seattle day- sunny, warm-ish, colorful, and alive. I dragged myself down to Ballard and sat on the banks of the Lake Washington ship canal watching all the sailboats, kayaks, and motorboats heading to the locks. It was a nice mini vacation without a phone or any obligations. You know how when you're watching the sunrise you feel like you're in on a secret? I sort of felt that way today because I wasn't in bed where people would expect me to be. No, I don't think I'll ever get over the fact I'm working nights because I'm a day person with every fiber of my body.

As I sat there, not trusting my bike to not tumble over onto the rocks, I watched all the people on their boats and heard the bikers and runners up behind me. It was very peaceful. There were a few ducks that were hanging around too. One mallard swam up by my feet, looked right at me, and then started up with his throaty quack. I think he didn't like me there. As he swam away, he started flipping out. I mean, the thing started thrashing about and bobbing around in the water. I had to laugh out loud. He frantically swam a few feet and then stood up on a rock I hadn't noticed a few inches below the water. Balancing on one foot, he took the other and scratched the base of his neck. I didn't know ducks could contort like that! A few minutes later another duck hopped up on the rock for the same purpose. Funny, the ducks have an itching rock.

I started wondering if ducks flip out when they go through a spider web too, just like humans. That reminded me of Brian Regan's clip about spider web flipouts. I could only find part of the skit and in poor quality, but here you go:

Note to self

When shoes are showered with gunk (ie: poop, phlegm, blood, and the like), do not attempt to clean said gunk with the purple top sanitary wipes. It takes off the waterproof polish and dye as well. As Archie said, I'm now the proud owner of red, stonewashed clogs. Hmm.

What concerns me more is the next time goo lands on my shoes, they will potentially absorb it, right? I mean, with no protective polish? Hmm, well moving on...

I need to stop with the overtime. It's putting a cramp in my style. My stonewashed clogs style.

Thoughts

I've been lucky with my commutes to work in my past three hospitals. Driving up to Scottsdale Shea in the mornings during nursing school was beautiful as the sun came up behind the Superstitions. I looked forward to the drive as much as the clinical site that I really enjoyed.

I was filled with dread most days as I drove along Lake Shore Drive (LSD, hehehe) to The Hospital, but the drive was also very pretty in the summer with Lake Michigan and the beaches as the sun rose. During the evenings when I drove home, there were people flying brightly colored kites and running and playing volleyball. It was a welcome change from all the sickies at work. Ahh, the days of working, well, days.

My new drive home takes me on I-5 now. The commute doesn't seem to take any longer and is the same distance, but I have my concerns about driving I-5 anyway. However, today I could see the Olympics capped with snow to the west and the Cascades to the east spotted with rays of sunshine. The depth perception was neat and the sky is pretty clear. It's going to be a good day :)

I was thinking how much I'm loving all the fall colors and how i wish fall lasted longer when I saw... a palm tree. Since when do palm trees grow in Seattle?

It's a jungle out there

...or a metal jungle anyway. This is part of the storage room at work. We call it "the ballroom," but I couldn't exactly tell you why. Maybe because it's so big? I suppose you could have a dance in there- you know, sashay around the coolers, code carts, sling scales, and other contortions of plastic and metal.



Last night wasn't so great for reasons that won't be mentioned. I will say that it was Drew's last night, though, so that made me sad :(

Crafty, eh?

Laura and I made cookies today and watched the last two episodes of Grey's Anatomy they tivo'd (no comments from the peanut gallery!). Since Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving, we decided to make the cookies into Canadian flags. Et voila!



Unfortunately, these cookies got a little smooshed on the trip home, but you get the idea.

And if all the other dog butts jumped, would you?

I'd never been to Ikea before last week. I was actually sort of proud to say that, but I wasn't sure why I should be. And now I know. Ikea is a madhouse. Ok, it's cool to have so many options for cheap, and there are in fact some cool things to buy, but on the weekend it's not a whole lot better than Walmart! The flip side of that is if you're in the mood for it, the people watching is great. One particular excursion had a really interesting character:

A dude brought over a hearse from the UK, refurbished it, painted it bright yellow, and drives it around. It gets better- he also bought a casket and painted it John Deere green and secured it in the back. On the passenger seat (our driver seat on this side of the pond), he stuck this creepy looking skeleton dude. I thought, well, maybe he's in the Halloween spirit and got it together early. But in the course of taking a photo, he stopped by and chatted with us; let me tell you, it was no Halloween stunt- he's just that weird. Also, since when does a hearse fit in a "compact" car spot?



In the way of merchandise, there was no shortage of amusing stuff either. For example, what are those things on this rug?? Seahorses with legs? Dragons? Roosters? Perhaps all three?



Personally, I'm a fan of this one- a mosh pit of dog butts. Yes, that's what I said. They're actually mountable so that their tails serve as leash hooks... but dog butts? I almost bought one :)

There's more where those came from...

Hooray! There's a new Bravia commercial! I'm still partial to the bouncy balls, but this is great :)

Team Hoyt

Ok if you don't even cry a little, I think you might need some help. It's nice to see things like this :)

Midnight snack

It occurred to me that the famous peanut butter and cottage cheese toast has never been captured on film (or memory card, for that matter). I give you tonight's midnight snack: tea and The Toast!


On a side note, why do freezers never have lights in them? Does Maytag think midnight eaters don't go for the frozen stuff? Hear this Maytag: I eat frozen berries before bed at 3am! In the dark! No thanks to you!

Or, you know, something like that.

Probably funnier than it should be

...and yet I can't stop laughing :)

Housekeeping

Hey! I moved! I'm living in Fremont now. Actually, it's sort of Ballard-Wallingford-Fremont area. I love it :) It's colorful and quiet inside... and right on the BG Trail! Woo hoo! Details of housewarming to come...

In the meantime, I'm also loving the fact that I have color to my skin (and feet, as evidenced below).

No words

I cannot even begin to tell you how beautiful West Virginia is. It was warm, sunny, and... just amazing. I'll write more about the trip soon, but in the meantime, here are some photos from our sunrise hike to tide you over. Steff, Mike, and I hiked to a viewpoint early in the morning, and this is what we found:

Thus begins a two week vacation

I'm off to Hico, West Virginia, tonight to visit Steff! A best friend, Gauley Fest, and West Virginia- isn't it almost heaven or something ;) I've heard so many stories about NARR from her and Munoz that I feel like I've already been there. Munoz assures me I have no idea...

This is going to be fun!

Time

I heard myself say something this morning and suddenly realized it may very well not be true. I seem to be saying it a lot in recent... years. I should just face the facts:

Life will not "slow down."

Things will not "get into a routine."

I will not "get settled."

The winter slump won't provide more time to "catch up,"

And the long summer days still won't fit in all the extra activities.

In short, time has become a precious commodity.

The Paperboys - Fall Down With You

Words fail me

I'm not a show-goer. They're too loud and there are too many people, but last night was the exception. The Paperboys are a five person Celtic, Mexican, folk, pop, and bluegrass band, as described by last night's opening band. But by the end of last night, they were joined on stage by their old bagpiper, two guest fiddle players, a horn player, and a saxaphone player! Add in elements of swing, tapdancing, and brass to come up with one amazing show. I know, it's a really odd mix, but believe me (the John Denver lover...), it was fantastic.

Oh man, I can't stop smiling :)